How Celebrity Suicides Can Actually Work As Life Lesson For The Rest Of Us

A couple of months back, the entire world was shocked when two consecutive celebrity deaths happened within a gap of a week or less. Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade were both highly successful, in their middle ages, and were financially stable. Then what prompted them to take a step as severe as this? These kinds of deaths leave behind a lot of unanswered questions, confusions, and irreparable loss. Because of the lack of education regarding mental wellness and depression, most people question their motive when someone commits suicide.

Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have been around for decades. While Kate Spade was a well-known designer, Anthony Bourdain charmed the world with his culinary show. He was the one who taught the world to explore local cuisine and eat like a local. He often sat down with locals and had a meal, and that gave us the message that food is not just about filling up our stomach; it is an imperative part of our cultures. Despite all the lovely teachings, Bourdain himself had suffered from depression, as did Kate Spade.

Why Does It Confuse Us When Celebs Commit Suicide?

It particularly confuses us when celebrities commit suicide because it sparks a conflict between reality and how we see it. We grow up idolizing celebrities, and we’ve put them on a pedestal and think of their fame and money as the height of accomplishment and success. Though millions have expressed their grief over celebrity suicides, they have not been able to understand that the media is the root cause behind all our discontentment, disconnection, and disillusionment. Society has evolved and propagated the belief that achieving success and financial independence should be the main purpose of our existence. We have been tricked into thinking that once we have everything we can dream of, life would be perfect. Once someone has attained all that, they feel there is nothing else to achieve. This is what confuses us about celebrity deaths. The most common misconception that we have about celebrities is that they possibly can’t have any problems because they have everything — fame, money, success! Truth is, there is often an internal void that can’t be filled by materialistic things like travels, food, television, and money.

What Is The Internal Void That Prompts Us To Take Extreme Steps

This void can occur due to loneliness, grief, personal loss, or even abuse. Despite personal success, one does not find fulfillment. Experts say that monetary success and fame is not enough. This internal void was never about having enough. Yet, when we fail to understand it, we keep striving for more in our quest to fill in the void. We don’t address the void though. Our success makes us detached from our support system – not everyone can relate to the success. Also, we tend to move away from our roots which, in turn, makes the void even larger.

Less Awareness About Depression And The Social Stigma

Depression is a growing problem across the globe and all cultures. But despite the alarmingly growing number of suicide cases, there is still a social stigma attached to depression and anxiety. This toxic way of thinking promptly invalidates what people with mental health issues feel and go through, rendering them to keep mum about their mental health. Many patients fear the lack of empathy among their close ones. It is not possible to just get out of depression and move on. You can’t tell someone with a broken leg to get up and walk!

What Can Help?

Spiritual healing can help fill up that internal void. When we start believing in some superpower, we have someone or something to fall back on, beyond all that the material world has to offer. The existence of a god or an almighty power helps us understand that we are just part of a much larger universe. When we don’t realize this truth, the burden of our “self” or the internal void becomes too much to bear and we seek extreme measures. If this isn’t enough, seeking help from a professional is the best step as they can properly diagnose and treat you with the right medication or program.

Stress and anxiety can be fatal, especially when we don’t do anything about it. Celebrities are humans, too, and no amount of money or success can shield them from the reality and effects of mental health issues. It’s important to remember that anyone – rich or poor, young or old – can have depression or mental health issues. And we should all acknowledge that mental health is as important as physical health.